spiritual magnetism
by nanrea
Summary: Everyone falls in love with Maxwell, even if they don't know it. an introspective piece in which Alvin introspects.


By the time they reach the temple outside Kanbalar, Alvin has come to the conclusion that everyone falls in love with Milla, if they spend enough time with her.

It has taken him a while to notice, of course. When it was only Jude and himself travelling with her, Jude's infatuation with Milla was obvious immediately and easily explained, or at least, the explanation Alvin came up with for his own growing fondness for the woman seemed to fit for Jude as well - Milla was a damn fine looking woman, no two ways about it, and to be honest Alvin's always loved the kind of woman who could kick his ass.

Or, well, she could probably, with some more training. Maybe. Initially, she was more likely to kick her own ass, she was so inept with her blade.

Ivar and the rest of the villagers were as dutifully pious to Milla as any backwoods village could be to their Lord. There was nothing odd about that, other than Ivar's . . . enthusiasm for his position as handmaid.

Elize's immediate love for the woman probably came from admiration for Milla's boldness, which Elize lacked, he supposed. The girl seemed to immediately take a liking to all three of them with equal strength, actually, which made sending reports to his uncle about her bond to her booster almost . . . actually, as much as he tried to resist it, he found himself growing fond of Elize, too, damn it, and telling Gilland anything about her became near impossible by the time they reached Sharilton.

Keeping up on reporting to Gaius and Gilland remained doable with the memory of his mother, at least. Dispel the Schism, help Leticia get the treatment she needs, get her back home to Elympios, get her iback:/i it's the promise that has kept him going for years, now, and any regard for his travelling companions wasn't going to shake him from this path. If, sometimes, he kept his suspicions as suspicions rather than working to confirm them as rigorously as he would with any other mark, well. No one was paying for that information.

(Ivar's confirming that he had the Key to the Lance was The Worst. Alvin didn't know who was playing the kid this time, to get him to Lakutam Highroad so fast, but whoever it was was going on his Bad Client list, ASAP.)

Rowen's respect, so quickly earned, and his willingness to follow Milla to the ends of the earth and beyond could be explained, probably, by her part in rescuing Cline Sharil, one of his two beloved masters. But why, then, would the old man abandon Drizelle so soon after Cline's assassination? Three weeks, and then he's taking off after Milla like he's got a greater duty to her than to the woman still mourning her brother and dhaky in her seat of power? Suspicious, Alvin decided, even as he used her recovery from paralysis as an excuse to ditch the key recovery effort and follow Milla again, even as he killed other Exodus agents, people he had known since childhood, kids he remembered playing with on the decks of the Zenethra, training with in the main base, growing up with, all in the service of Milla Fucking Maxwell, the one who had trapped them all here in Rieze Maxia in the first place. And it's Rowen's behavior that begins to stir his suspicions about Milla.

Ellen Mathis has always been a kind woman. Alvin had met her once or twice over the years when seeking out Derrick's opinion on his mother's health, a diagnosis in exchange for his continued silence over Derrick's whereabouts to Gilland. Derrick had always been a prick, but a competent doctor willing to do his duty to any who sought his help. Neither one of them behaved strangely when it came to Milla, so there was no evidence there.

Honestly, it was Leia's conversion to Milla's side that finally made him wonder what the hell was going on. The girl's crush on little Jude was as obvious as the sun in the sky, blindingly clear to everyone except the kid himself, apparently, and Leia could see how he felt about Milla because he had no filter for that either. But rather than using that as an excuse to distance herself from Milla or Jude like he imagined a normal person would, Leia almost seemed to become infatuated with Milla herself. Even more than that, she sought out guidance from Milla and turned her into a role model. Leia was a genuinely nice girl, but Alvin had his doubts about even the nicest of kids being willing to buddy up to a rival like that. Something had to be going on here.

Even King Gaius himself, when put to it, ended up turning to Milla as an ally, asking her to aid in reclaiming his castle.

It was just weird, how easily Milla garnered respect, how her friends seemed to look to Milla for guidance, for a purpose, how easily Milla garnered such trust. Even Alvin, ordered to take any opportunity to kill her after confirming both her status as Lord of Spirits and the location of the Key, found himself wishing he could turn to her the way the others did. Even though she and her Schism were the reason for it all; his father's death, his mother's misery, his being trapped in this nightmare world that had, increasingly, become his home; he trusted her, he followed her, he even to his horror discovered that he had come to love her, in his own fashion. He even let her and the others meet his mother, and for more than just sympathy points.

It was, quite possibly, the worst thing that ever happened to him.

Even now, standing at the foot of her bed, in this frigid temple, watching her sleep, gun to her head for the easiest kill shot in his life, he can't do it. It is easier to turn his back on his people and his world, than it is to betray Milla Maxwell yet again.

He lowers his gun.


End file.
